State Assembly passes biennium budget

Matthew Hunt |Sunday, September 17, 2017

Assembly passes budget, Senate not on board

All Republicans except Sen. But he said they center around a list of nine demands he and Republican Sens.

The Wisconsin state Assembly passed the two month overdue 2017-19 biennium budget in a 57-39 vote Wednesday. Wisconsin is one of only two states with a July 1 deadline that still doesn't have a budget enacted. A group of Senate Republicans want to speed up repeal of the prevailing wage, block spending on University of Wisconsin System diversity training and expand the statewide voucher school program.

Vos threatened Thursday that his chamber would not consider the budget again if the Senate made changes to it. Instead, he said Walker will use his extensive veto power to do enough to win their support. It would end in September 2018 under the current version of the budget. The budget would have also allowed votes in November of odd-numbered years.

State Sen. David Craig, R-Town of Vernon, was the lone senator to vote against the budget bill, with Nass, Kapenga and Stroebel throwing their support behind the proposal.

"Nothing's changed with me", he said as debate began Friday.

"This whole series of suppliers that we met with will be overall a net gain to the state of Wisconsin because they'll be coming in and investing and employing people and we presume that the biggest incentive will be, providing the fact that Foxconn will be there", Walker said Wednesday in a call with reporters.

The vetoes promised by Governor Scott Walker include moving up a complete repeal of the state's prevailing wage law from next fall to when the budget is signed, making changes to a provision that restricts when school districts can hold referenda votes, and removing language that would have expanded the authority of the controversial Public Financing Authority. Five GOP lawmakers opposed the bill, along with every Democratic Assembly member.

"We don't even know if the Senate can pass this budget, it's so bad", Democratic Minority Leader Peter Barca said. "There's no other way to put it". He is praising the plan that passed the Senate Friday night for sending $639 million more to K-12 schools while also slightly reducing property taxes.

Joint Finance Committee approves transportation package, property tax cutsIn order to pass a contentious state budget that has been stalled for almost two months, the state Legislature's Joint Read...